She was small, maybe five feet or so, with the cutest little hint of fat peeking over the waist of her underwear. This belied her agility, as she soon showed by leaping into the branches of the trees above, swinging up and perching overhead, bare feet curling round the branch. Her yellow eyes, like a wild cat’s, looked down on Kym from the trees, watching with a mix of curiosity, fear and mild recognition.

How long had she been living out here in the forest? Kym wondered. She must have been born out here, those eyes weren’t human, must’ve developed over time. But how had she grown to adult size, what creature had protected the girl through childhood?

At length, the wild girl slowly clambered, insect-like, down the tree trunk. She tilted her head, brown hair hanging lank down one side of her face, loose strands clinging to her sweaty, dirt-streaked face in the humid atmosphere.